The Fate She Sees

      

The Replacement Wife

by Allie Davies

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Publication Date: Mar 9, 2022
Publisher: Alison Glossop
Pages: 315
ISBN: 9781739727918
Genre: Thriller | Suspense | Psychological
Source: ARC (ebook)

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Synopsis: Emily is struggling. She has been dealing with something traumatic while also trying to salvage her fractured marriage. She knows her husband is withdrawing more and more so she hires a private investigator to follow him and uncover his secrets. But then strange things start to happen to her. Late one night on the Tube, Emily encounters a man who claims to be psychic and asks to read her palm. At first, Emily is reluctant but then at the last minute, she changes her mind. The psychic predicts that within a month three people will betray her and that he mentions that he sees a gun pointed at her head. Emily originally doubts the man and his predictions, that is until they start coming true.

Emily starts trying to put the pieces together to figure out what her husband is really up to, who is the mysterious person that seems to be following her and hanging outside her house, and who is this psychic really?

Review: I'm shocked that this is Allie's debut novel. The writing is really good, what a fantastic debut novel. I ended up plowing through this book because every time I got to the end of one chapter, I had to keep going to see what the next chapter would bring.

I love when the narrator is unreliable. Especially when other factors come into play such as alcohol or in this case, going off anti-depressants cold-turkey. It makes it incredibly hard to trust the character and as a reader, you spend a lot of time wondering what is real and what isn't. I spent the entire time trying to figure out and guess what was happening, trying to put all the pieces of this puzzle back together to see the full picture. This is one of those books where you think you understand the connections and bigger picture, but when you get to the end you realize you had it very wrong. 

“They whisper in hard tones, probably hoping they cannot be heard over the thunderous rumble of the Tube. It's obvious they are in the midst of a heated discussion. He's staring into her eyes. I recognise the forced expression that appears on his face when he says, 'There's no one else.' Yes, I know that look.”
― Allie Davies, The Fate She Sees

I really enjoyed Emily's character. She was very relatable and it was easy to get sucked into her mind and experience her feelings. 

Overall I give this book 3.5 stars because I loved the plot, I enjoyed the character development, and the storyline was very engaging. I can't wait to see what Allie writes next.

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The Replacement Wife

    

The Replacement Wife

by Darby Kane

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Publication Date: Dec 28 2021
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 416
ISBN: 9780063119680
Genre: Thriller | Suspense | Psychological
Source: Library

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Synopsis: Elisa is desperately trying to put her life back together after a horrific accident. She tries to avoid the past trauma and horrible memories by being a devoted wife and attentive mother. They live in a quiet idyllic town on the outskirts of the city and are well-known members of the community.

Not only is Elisa trying to put her life back together following the trauma of the past, but she is also desperate to find her missing friend, Abby, who also happens to be her brother-in-law's fiance. Abby has been missing for several months and the police have ruled her disappearance as a runaway and believe nothing sinister happened. Elisa won't let it go and begins snooping around trying to figure out where Abby went but as she unlocks clues about her family's past, she begins to realize that she doesn't like what she finds. All signs point to Josh being a murderer, after all, he has one dead wife and a missing fiance. Then enters Rachel, Josh's new girlfriend. Elisa is appalled that Josh would begin dating so quickly after Abby's disappearance and she decides that Rachel is really in danger and she will stop at nothing to protect her from Josh's womanizing/murderous ways. 

Review: This book is such a head trip. The entire time I kept saying out loud, "What is happening?!" because it's so hard to wrap your brain around what is going on. The narrator is unreliable so the entire story is told from her distorted view which makes your head spin.

This entire book is filled with manipulation, gaslighting, lies, and delusions. It's absolutely perfect at making you question everything. I can't even adequately describe the amount of gaslighting in this book - it made me stop multiple times and question whether the narrator was becoming unhinged or if she was being manipulated.

“That’s how grief works. Grief, depression, trauma. They overwhelm. They’re louder than the good things happening in your life. You can’t compartmentalize the darker aspects and put them in a box and think they won’t leach into the rest of your life.”
― Darby Kane, The Replacement Wife

Overall I give this book 4 stars because the story is the epitome of what a true psychological thriller is meant to be and it keeps you hooked until the very end.

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